Heer Soldbuch – Stabsfeldwebel Parisek – Panzer Regiment 33/ Pz Reg 204 / Panzer Lehr Paderborn TIGER or TIGER 2 !
Wehrmacht Soldbuch to Stabsfeldwebel Franz Parisek from Vienna.
The Soldbuch was opened with Panzer Abteilung 33 in November 1939.
According to his Licence he was permitted to drive the Panzerwagen 1 since 1936!
Frontline Units:
Panzer Abteilung 33 – 4 Komp / Panzer Regiment 33 – 7 Komp (9th Panzer Division)
The regiment was also known interestingly as ‘Prinz Eugen’
The 9th Panzer Division was set up on January 3, 1940. It emerged from the 4th light division, which was reclassified accordingly for this purpose. In addition to its previous troop units, it received the headquarters of the 9th Rifle Brigade, the 85th Panzer Intelligence Department and, instead of a tank department, the 33rd Panzer Regiment. Before the start of the western campaign, the division was in the area around Limburg. At the beginning of the western campaign, the division then advanced from the Wesel area via Cleve to the Netherlands. It reached Moerdijk on May 12th via s’Hertogenbosch and Rotterdam on May 14th via Dordrecht. The division then crossed The Hague and Amsterdam, turned east and marched along the Meuse until May 17th to Roermond. The division then swung westwards via Hirson and reached Doullens on May 24th, where it was stopped in front of Dunkirk due to Hitler’s order to stop. After the German attack resumed, the division entered Dunkirk by June 1. Before the final fall of the city, the first phase of the western campaign for the division was over and the division moved to the area south of Amiens. During the second phase of the campaign, the “Battle of France”, the division broke through the “Weygand Line” north of Clermont, advanced on Coullommiers and reached Sens on June 15th. Roanne was reached by June 19th. From there the division turned to the northwest and marched via Orléans and Poitiers to Branne, which was reached on June 25. This is where the division’s campaign in the west ended and immediately afterwards they transferred to their home garrisons.
At the beginning of February 1941 the division moved to Romania and in March to Bulgaria. As part of the XXXX. Army Corps (12th Army), the division took part in the Balkan campaign from April 6, 1941. It crossed the Yugoslav border west of Küstendil and advanced on Skoplje. On April 9, the division reached the Albanian border at Prisren. From April 11, the division fought the British-Greek Central Army south of the Aliakmon. On April 14th, Kozani was taken. After crossing the Aliakmon, the division attacked the Servia position, but was turned away. Subsequently, the division embraced this position and marched on Oba. On April 26, the division moved via Larissa to the Pharsalos – Volos area on the Aegean Sea. Before the end of the fighting, the order to march north came and the division marched through Yugoslavia back to its home garrison. At the beginning of the Russian campaign, the division was subordinate to the XIV Army Corps in Army Group Center. Coming from Silesia, the division followed the German attack leaders and crossed the border to the Soviet Union at Annopol on June 28th. The first battles with Russian tanks took place near Zloszow. Zloszow was taken on July 1, Tarnopol was taken on July 2, and the Stalin line was broken at Podwolcczyska on July 7. On July 16, Biala Zerkiew was taken and the division then took part in the Battle of Uman. On August 16, the division took part in the capture of Krivoy-Rog and two days later reached the Dnieper, where it turned on Dnepropetrovsk. On September 11th the division crossed the Dnieper at Kremenchug and closed the Kiev pocket at Snjatin on September 15th. After the end of the Battle of Kiev, the division advanced in the direction of Orel until it was forced to stop by the first muddy period in early October 1941. It was not until November 2nd that the advance could continue and the city of Kursk was conquered. The division then advanced eastward on the Don, but the attack got stuck at Shchigry. The front around Shchigry was held until the spring of 1942. It was not until June 28, 1942, that the division was used again on the offensive from its positions. She crossed the Tim and marched to Kobylia Ssnowa. On July 6, the division had to turn to the north to secure its flanks and advance on Ssemlyansk. Here there is heavy fighting with Russian tank units. On August 4th, the division was withdrawn from the front to take part in the “Wirbelwind” operation, the advance on Ssuchinitschi, via Orel in the Bolchoff area. There were heavy and costly battles around the Shisdra section. By August 26th the own positions had to be taken back behind the Shisdra. From 9 September the division was withdrawn from the front and assigned to the 9th Army in the Gshatsk area as an army reserve.
Panzer Regiment 204 – (22 Panzer Division)
The regiment was transferred to the Crimea to support the beleaguered 46th Infantry Division in their defensive battle on the Kerch peninsula. The unit was hastily thrown into operation without prior investigation and suffered correspondingly high losses. At the end of April 1942, the new III. Department also in the Crimea. Since the staff was still insufficiently trained, training units from the Putlos tank shooting school, which were flown in specially by the Army High Command of the 1st Tank Army, were trained. By May 11, the regiment had advanced eastward and reached the coast of the Sea of Azov near Kerch. At the end of May 1942 the regiment marched to the Donets in the area south of Slavyansk. The III. Division remained as part of the “Kampfgruppe Rodt” until the end of the fighting in the Crimea.
In Kramatorskaya, south of Slavyansk, the regiment was refreshed close to the front and continued its training. Staff and I. Department were at the end of May southeast of Kharkov as part of the III. Panzer Corps deployed. After the return of the staff and the II. Division, the regiment reported at the end of May 1942 without the III. Division 10 Panzer II, 36 Panzer 38 (t), 8 Panzer III long, 6 Panzer IV long, 6 Panzer IV short. Above all, the mass of Panzer II and Panzer 38 (t) greatly reduced the combat value of the regiment. At the beginning of June the regiment then moved to the area southeast of Kharkov as part of the 22nd Panzer Division in order to take part in the “Wilhelm” operation. From the area north of Chugujew it hit the north-east of Krasn on June 10 in two days. Army berth in front. Here, on June 13th, the connection to the left, encircling wing of the 6th Army, advancing east of Kharkov, was established, thus enclosing a larger enemy group. From June 20, the regiment was used in the “Battle of Kupyansk”. After a difficult relocation march back to the Don, the regiment attacked from the Balakleja area in a northeast / east direction in order to win the “Oskol sector” south of Kupyansk within five days of heavy fighting. After eight days of rest, the regiment advanced in early July 1942 as part of the German summer offensive against Rostov-on-Don until the end of July and took part in the battles to conquer the city. At the same time, the III. Division hived off from the regimental unit and transferred to the “Combat Group Michalik” of the 2nd Army.
Later:
Panzer Ersatz Abt 500
Panzer-Ersatz- und Ausbildungs-Abteilung Paderborn (TIGER)
Interestingly, Parisek gets posted to the above unit, they were mainly a unit that trained Tiger and Tiger 2 crews, although as he was with them in September 1944. I have found the following information: During September 1944 Pz.Ers.Abt. 500 provided personnel and 15 Tiger I to form s.Pz.Kp. Paderborn (better known as s.Pz.Kp. “Hummel”).
It would seem that this unit fought at the Battle of Arnhem against English Paratroopers.
Unfortunately, the only page missing in the Soldbuch is page 17, so we will never know if he was the group that left for Arnhem in September 1944, but one thing is for sure. He would have known the Tiger or Tiger 2 inside out in order to train crews and with his experience it is unlikely that he would have been left behind. Further research would be needed!
Awards entered into the Soldbuch:
- Service Medal IV
- Marksmanship Lanyard
- Annexation Medal 1938
- Eastern Front Medal
- Krim Arm Shield
- War Merit Cross wit Swords
Equipment:
1942 issued with Binoculars and Walther P38
Here is a picture of the famous Tiger School in Paderborn, it is highly likely that Parisek is in this picture!
